TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur have been able to bring in five signings this summer but the window has been dominated by exits.

Ange Postecoglou has seen Tottenham make the biggest deal of the window with the signing of Dominic Solanke.

Spurs have more recently completed the signing of Wilson Odobert who really impressed Heung-min Son on his Tottenham debut against Everton.

The signing of Odobert was suggested to potentially be Tottenham’s last, but there is still plenty of time for the Lilywhites to act on any late opportunities in the window.

However, it is now being claimed that those inside the club are hoping for a busy end to the window with work still needing to be done.

Tottenham hoping for busy end to the summer transfer window

Spurs were strongly linked with a move for Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze this summer but Tottenham could now launch their move in January.

This summer has been dominated in north London by player exits with Postecoglou and Daniel Levy working to trim down the bloated squad.

Double digit players have now made their departure from N17 in a variety of different ways and more could be to come.

According to Sami Mokbel, Tottenham are looking to end the transfer window strong with incomings possible but with players still to move on.

“On terms of outgoings. yes, it might be [busy]. I think the club are hoping it will be a busy 48 hours/72 hours. ” Mokbel said on the Last Word on Spurs.

“In terms of incomings, never say never. In this game and often I’ve shot myself in the foot, numerous times, with saying something might happen, or will happen, and it hasn’t.”

Who could Tottenham sell before Friday’s deadline?

The future of Sergio Reguilon remains up in the air with the Spain international having been left out of the Tottenham squad which travelled to Asia for their pre-season tour.

Besiktas are believed to have shown an interest in Reguilon at Tottenham in recent days as the Spain international looks for his next club.

However, Reguilon has also been linked with a potential shock move to Barcelona.

Another player who Spurs will be keen to move on before the end of play on Friday is Giovani Lo Celso.

The Argentine is also clearly not in the plans of Postecoglou and Tottenham are seeing Lo Celso push for an exit this week.

Tottenham Hotspur have placed great emphasis on recruiting young talent this summer transfer window.

The North Londoners have signed four teenagers and could still make further additions before deadline day on Friday.

Wilson Odobert is the latest arrival from Burnley, joining Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Yang Min-hyuk and Dominic Solanke as the summer recruits.

They were in for another exciting young talent earlier this year but he’s now set to sign for fellow Premier League side Leicester City.

Leicester close to signing Bilal El Khannouss

Tottenham Hotspur were in talks to sign Genk’s promising playmaker Bilal El Khannouss earlier this year, according to voetbalkrant.

The North Londoners identified the Morocco international as a summer target and it’s thought Liverpool were also keen.

But, he’s now set to join Leicester City for a fee in the region of £17.2m, according to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano.

El Khannouss, who has been labelled a ‘wonderkid’ per FourFourTwo, is set to undergo a medical on Wednesday before signing a four-year deal with The Foxes.

Tottenham remain the market for a left-back

Tottenham remain active in the transfer market and it’s thought they could still bring in one or two more additions.

A left-back is understood to be on their radar as they target cover for Destiny Udogie, though, a name has not yet surfaced in the media.

Michael Kayode has been identified as a right-back target for Spurs and could potentially cover at left-back if needed.

A telling week lies ahead.

Tottenham Hotspur’s summer transfer window has certainly proven to be an interesting one with Johan Lange proving to be a busy man.

Ange Postecoglou has seen five players signed this summer with one of them being on loan and another not arriving until January.

However, there has been plenty of movement at Tottenham when it comes to player exits with double digit numbers having left the club.

The Australian has been able to streamline his bloated squad which he inherited last summer from Antonio Conte’s tenure.

But there may well be a feeling that more could have been done to improve the squad depth of this Tottenham squad over recent months.

Although there is still a few days remaining in the transfer window, Spurs may already be eyeing a potential deal for the winter market.

Tottenham could line up £60m move for January

Fabrizio Romano has recently suggested Tottenham could still be working on a late deal before the end of play on Friday.

But there have also been suggestions that following Wilson Odobert’s signing, Tottenham’s business could actually be wrapped up for the summer.

There have been a number of reported targets which Spurs have not landed – so far – and could now be viewed as possible options for January.

According to Sami Mokbel, Tottenham could well be viewing Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze as a player to return their interest to in the winter window.

“It would be accurate to say Tottenham had an interest in Eberechi Eze, that is accurate. But I know, the entire top six will have looked at Eze’s situation. Interestingly, and most important of all, none of those clubs took the plunge,” Mokbel said on the Last Word on Spurs.

“I think part of the reason would have been the hamstring injuries he has struggled from over the last 18 months. I think clubs will look at that and say £60m is great value and he’s a fantastic player, but we need to see another season out of him, and then, lets make that deal happen next summer.”

“Eberechi Eze may be one you look to do in January, perhaps. Or, if not, next summer.”

Tottenham would now have to break the bank to sign Eberechi Eze before Friday

Spurs are now in the position where they could well need to react to any potential opportunities which may present themselves in the market.

Eze has been valued at £60m this summer because of his Crystal Palace release clause, but that has now expired putting the power back in the south London club’s hands.

With just days remaining in the window, Palace will not want to lose the ‘incredible‘ Eze, so if they were to make a move for the playmaker at this stage of the window they’d have to submit a huge offer.

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has now claimed it would take an offer of £80m to sign Eze ahead of the deadline.

“£80million. Why would Palace sell him? They’ve got £140million coming in on players. A lot of that is probably structured so it is up-front money. So why would they need to sell Eze as well?” he said.

“Someone is going to have to pay big bucks to get Eze.”

With just a few days remaining of the summer transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be focused on offloading a few more players.

As far as his summer wishlist at Tottenham goes, Ange Postecoglou has recruited the majority of the profiles on the list.

Postecoglou wanted a central forward and a wide one, who arrived in the form of Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert.

Odobert was excellent on his Tottenham debut, a very exciting signing for the club going forward, a talent who should only get better and better.

That being said, Spurs are still thought to possibly be in the market for one more signing, possibly a left-footed centre-back if they can offload certain players first.

After Manor Solomon’s departure on loan, Tottenham now just need to find new homes for Sergio Reguilon and Giovani Lo Celso.

Of course, one left-footed defender who has already departed Spurs this summer is Ryan Sessegnon, a popular figure at the club who’s time in north London was ravaged by injury.

Tottenham players delighted to see Ryan Sessegnon make his second Fulham debut

Sessegnon joined Tottenham from Fulham back in 2019 for a considerable fee, but only went on to play for the club 57 times during those five years.

At the time of his signing, it looked like Sessegnon was bound to be a 50-cap England player one day, a profile who could thrive in any position on the left side.

Unfortunately, injuries have curtailed his potential somewhat, but at 24-years-old, Sessegnon is now hoping for a fresh start back at Craven Cottage, where he made his name.

Sessegnon started for Fulham in their 2-0 win against Birmingham City on Tuesday, playing the whole 90 minutes at left-back.

And after the game, the defender took to Instagram to celebrate his new beginning.

Sessegnon uploaded a collection of photos from the win alongside a caption of: “No better feeling than making my second debut for this club. Into the next round with a win on the road!

“Being sidelined for the last year has been tough, but tonight reminded me why. It’s so special putting this shirt on. Massive thank you to everyone that travelled.”

As expected, a host of Sessegnon’s former Tottenham teammates replied, including the likes of Djed Spence and Reguilon.

Of course, Spurs fans will only wish the Fulham defender the best, a player who many had sympathy for during his years in north London.

Tottenham Hotspur are now into the 72 hours of this summer’s transfer market with a few positions which could ideally still do with strengthening.

Ange Postecoglou‘s summer signings have been very particular with the Australian carefully selecting the players which he has brought to north London.

Over the summer, Tottenham have been able to land five signings but two of them include Timo Werner being retained on loan and Yang Min-hyeok who does not arrive until January.

The latest of the arrivals has been Wilson Odobert who impressed Heung-min Son on his Tottenham debut over the weekend against Everton.

But with just a matter of hours now remaining in the market, it could well be a case of Tottenham reacting to any potential late opportunities which present themselves.

With some positions still needing to be strengthened, Fabrizio Romano has shared his understanding on what could happen when it comes to arrivals.

Tottenham have actually made the biggest splash in the transfer market this summer with the signing of Dominic Solanke.

A new backup goalkeeper is being eyed by Tottenham but that deal could now be pushed back until January.

However, money could still be spent on signing some further players to strengthen the squad with a busy schedule ahead.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano has claimed Spurs are still working on something in the background after landing Odobert from Burnley.

“The deal they did with Burnley [for Odobert] was completely silent,” he said.

“So, I think they’re still working on something, and I’m told they’re still working on something, but there is still nothing concrete or close to being completed. But I can confirm Tottenham are still in the market for opportunities.”

Tottenham need strength in depth this season

One thing which Tottenham have done really well this summer is offloading the players who Postecoglou did not intend on using.

There are still a few players who could leave the club with Besiktas eyeing up a deal for Sergio Reguilon over the coming days.

But Spurs could still do with another addition or two before the end of play on Friday to make sure they have enough to see them through until January.

Tottenham’s injury issues last season were well documented and Postecoglou simply cannot deal with a repeat this time around.

Micky van de Ven has already shared an update on his injury scare after Solanke has been ruled out of action following his debut.

The Lilywhites have a much busier schedule this term with Europa League football to be played, so further injury issues will seriously hinder Tottenham’s hopes of achieving something this season.

Leeds United have signed Manor Solomon from Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan deal.

Spurs have done a really good job moving players out in this window. They released Tanguy Ndombele, Japhet Tanganga and Ryan Sessgnon, while the likes of Joe Rodon, Oliver Skipp and Emerson Royal have been sold.

Tottenham have loaned out Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bryan Gil to Marseille and Girona respectively, and now, another one has joined the list.

Solomon completed his move to Leeds on loan on Tuesday.

Tottenham’s James Maddison sends message to Manor Solomon after Leeds loan move

Tottenham signed Solomon from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2023.

The 25-year-old had impressed in a loan spell across London at Fulham in the 2022/23 season, and that convinced Spurs to sign him when they had the chance.

Solomon, unfortunately, had a disastrous debut campaign.

The Israel international managed just six appearances for Spurs before suffering a serious injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Solomon returned to full fitness over the summer, but he had no place in the Tottenham side to have any chance of getting regular game time.

So, Ange Postecoglou decided to loan him out, and Leeds United have signed a solid player as they aim to return to the Premier League.

Solomon took to Instagram to celebrate his move, and he received a lot of love in the replies below his post.

James Maddison wished him well by saying: “Good luck brother!”

Solomon’s future at Tottenham is at risk

When he’s fully fit, Solomon is a fantastic player.

The winger is quick, a good dribbler and he has the ability to score goals and provide assists. That’s the reason why Tottenham signed him in 2023.

Now, he is very far down Postecoglou’s pecking order, and unless he has an absolutely incredible season at Leeds United, we can’t see a way back for him in North London.

Tottenham were actually open to selling Solomon in this window.

It will be interesting to see how he will fare in the Championship. He definitely has the ability to become one of the best players in the division there.

In most respects, the ownership styles of Tottenham’s Daniel Levy and Chelsea’s Todd Boehly could not be more different, but they are closely aligned on one thing.

Levy is one of the most conservative and successful owners in Premier League history, relative to the amount that his ENIC group have invested at least.

Boehly meanwhile, who became the public face of Chelsea following his takeover with Clearlake Capital two years ago, is anything but conservative.

He has pumped billions into the club for new signings, most of whom have been demonstrably unsuccessful.

Analysis suggests that Chelsea‘s amortisation bill (how clubs account for transfers over a period of years) will hit £250m this season and remain that high for years to come.

That will shackle the club with big Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR, formerly FFP) issues – unless they can continue to pull rabbits out of the hat with loophole-busting workarounds.

It is more likely, however, that they will need to find some way to dramatically increase revenue to offset costs.

And matchday income is one way that both Chelsea and Spurs are targeting.

Tottenham only just behind Chelsea in matchday income metric

The North London have the obvious edge over Chelsea in that they have a far bigger stadium.

Tottenham’s matchday income was £118m in 2022-23, the last financial year on record, while Chelsea’s was far behind at £76.5m.

However, in terms of the amount of cash they generated per fan, per matchday, there is almost parity between the two sides.

In fact, according to a study from industry experts Sports Business Institute Barcelona, Chelsea earn 20 pence more per fan each match.

Spurs and Chelsea earn far more than any other Premier League side in this metric, squeezing £100.50 and £100.70 per fan on each matchday respectively.

Chelsea’s ultimate ambition is to either expand Stamford Bridge ore move to another site altogether in order to increase their overall matchday income total.

Who earns more, Tottenham or Chelsea?

Chelsea’s spending may give the impression that they have endless cash to burn, but that may not be the case for long as PSR catches up with them.

With the Premier League expected to move to a new system that limits clubs to spending 85 per cent of revenue on wages, transfers and agents fees, Chelsea’s spending power will be anchored.

Their revenue was £512m in 2022-23, compared to Spurs’ total of £550m.

That would give them respective PSR budgets of £435.2m and £467.5m respectively, and the net would be even tighter for Chelsea under UEFA’s 70 per cent limit.

Few behind-the-scenes figures are as synonymous with their clubs as Daniel Levy is with Tottenham, and the fame comes with extra scrutiny.

Levy has been in situ at Spurs for more than two decades and, despite helping raise Spurs from Premier League also-rans to ‘Big Six’ mainstays, remains a divisive figure in North London.

Many supporters feel that the increasing commercialisation of the club has come at the expense of bedrock fans.

Tottenham’s annual commercial income was £228m at the last count, while overall revenue has almost doubled since the move to the new stadium in 2019.

Matchday income has been a huge part of that increase and Spurs are now among just three Premier League clubs who can expect to earn £100m-plus through the turnstiles every season.

Their matchday income figure is set to rise again next season, but not without provoking the wrath of fans for whom tickets are becoming more and more unaffordable.

FSA namecheck Daniel Levy amid Tottenham cash grab

This summer, Spurs have announced both a six per cent increase in season ticket prices plus a gradual phasing out of concessions tickets.

That latter policy in particular has provoked outrage, with no new concessions season tickets being issued from 2025-26.

In a statement on rising ticket prices across English football, the influential Football Supporters Association highlighted that Levy had raised prices while simultaneously paying himself a £3m bonus.

The FSA also pointed out that matchday income pales in comparison to the £10bn Premier League TV deal and that clubs should stop using PSR as an excuse to price bedrock fans out.

Spurs’ matchday income in 2022-23, the last season for which financial data is available, stood at £118m.

Extrapolating based on a six per cent price rise, that figure will rise to £125m in 2024-25.

How much does matchday income really matter to Spurs?

One only needs to take a cursory glance at the accounts in the years since 2019 to see how transformative the new stadium has been for Spurs.

However, the extra six per cent in matchday income will not move the dial significantly in the context of total revenues which are expected to hit £600m in the next handful of seasons.

The price rise will also smart for Spurs fans given that the club have so far failed to agree a naming rights deal, which they initially hoped could bring in £25m every term.

Tottenham’s immediate priority is to navigate the final days of the transfer window, but the club’s efforts to sell an equity stake remain ongoing.

It has been an open secret within the world of sports investment that ENIC, headed up by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, are looking for fresh capital.

Spurs value themselves at £3.75bn and have enlisted the Rothschild bank to seek out high worth individuals or groups who may be interested in taking a minority stake.

So far, a handful of parties have been linked with a potential deal, but there have been no formalities between Tottenham and a would-be buyer.

That perhaps is not a surprise given that the immediate concern has been preparing Ange Postecoglou‘s side for a new season in the Premier League.

What’s more, it is a saturated acquisitions market at present.

As well as Spurs, West Ham, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Wolves are all seeking minority investment, while Everton’s protracted takeover saga has still not reached its crescendo.

However, the latest financial news from the United States represents a boost for the North London club as they look to find a buyer.

In recent years, Middle East sovereign wealth funds and private equity firms from the US have dominated discourse around the Premier League takeover market.

But despite interest in Spurs, private equity’s interest in football is declining as a result of broader market factors, disruptors like Chelsea’s Todd Boehly, and the Premier League’s resistance to the franchise model.

One of those broader market factors has been stubbornly high interest rates.

Private equity firms flourish in periods of lower interest rates as it makes borrowing for takeovers (known as a ‘leveraged buyout’) cheaper and increases their potential returns.

After raising rates 11 times in a row, the United States Federal Reserve is expected to announce a rate cut on September 18, according to Forbes and others.

That will likely broaden the pool of investors for whom buying into Spurs is feasible and attractive.

There has also been a further development this week in that PCP Capital Partners are believed to be ramping up efforts to buy a stake in Tottenham.

The group, which is led by former Newcastle United director Amanda Staveley, is said to be backed by capital from the Middle East and could be eyeing up to a 25 per cent stake.

However, the original report erroneously suggested that Staveley could simultaneously invest in Spurs and Newcastle as her stake in the North East club was less than 9.9 per cent is wrong on two fronts.

Firstly, the Premier League’s rules on dual ownership have been tightened to prevent owners or directors from holding any material influence in more than one club, irrespective of how small their stake may be.

Secondly, Staveley has already sold her 9.9 per cent stake in Newcastle to co-investors the Saudi Public Investment and the Reuben Brothers.

Who else could buy Tottenham?

Qatar Sports Investment have been linked with a Spurs takeover, although that is unlikely to happen for one of several reasons.

For one, the Premier League is under increasing pressure ahead of the implementation of an independent football regulator to prevent nation states or their proxy institutions from owning clubs.

Furthermore, QSI’s ownership of Paris Saint-Germain would mean the two clubs could not compete in the same UEFA competition under the same control.

And QSI would almost certainly want full strategic direction over Spurs, which Daniel Levy is unlikely to grant.

Elsewhere, MSP Sports Capital – the group who tried to buy Everton earlier this year – have previously been linked, but there has been no update on their interest in the past year.

The same is true of Liberty Media, the most valuable sports empire in the world who over see F1 as well as billions of dollars of other sports and media assets.

Tottenham Hotspur’s summer transfer window is now just a matter of days from coming to a conclusion.

It has certainly been a mixed summer for Ange Postecoglou who has seen more than 10 players depart Tottenham over recent months.

When it comes to arrivals, Spurs have been able to acquire five signings but there are some caveats to those additions.

Timo Werner has returned on another loan and Yang Min-hyeok will not land in north London until January.

But with Friday’s deadline quickly approaching, there are still some areas which have not been addressed over the course of the window.

Spurs have seen some positive early signs from youngster Archie Gray which could potentially be replicated with a late move from Johan Lange.

Tottenham have already scouted £20m midfielder

There is still room for more departures from N17 with Tottenham open to allowing Giovani Lo Celso to find a new club.

This comes following the recent sale of Oliver Skipp to Leicester City which has opened up a spot in the squad for another potential midfield addition.

One player who Tottenham have already scouted is Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney who is valued at £20m.

This is a midfielder who has been hailed as ‘outstanding’ from his time under Michael Carrick on Teesside in the Championship.

Although signing another player from the second tier may not exactly excite the fans, Spurs are showing their scouting of the Championship can work.

Archie Gray is already impressing those behind the scenes at Tottenham having arrived from Leeds United earlier this summer.

And it finally looks like Djed Spence is flourishing at Tottenham with Postecoglou having sang his praise over the pre-season.

Hayden Hackney could complete Tottenham’s midfield

Hackney is proving his worth in the Championship with Boro and looks ready to make the step up to the Premier League.

Despite playing in a deep midfield role, Hackney has shown his ability to create with his passing stats leaving a lot to be impressed about.

Stats via FBRef.

And it has seen some big praise come from his manager and former Spurs player Carrick earlier in the year.

“You couldn’t ask for much more from Hayden,” Carrick told the media.

“He’s grounded, he’s humble, he’s down to earth and loves to learn. He loves the place and he loves the club as well.

“To have that, added with the talent he has got, it’s the perfect scenario. I think it just shows his consistency really, over a long period of time. It’s not easy when you’re a younger player, but he’s certainly done that.”